Overview

Get out of Venice for the day to visit the UNESCO-listed Dolomite Mountains. Led by a driver/tour escort, see two of the most stunning lakes in Italy, Lake Santa Caterina and Lake Misurina, as well as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo peaks, learning some history as you go. Then take some free time to walk around the chic mountain town of Cortina d'Ampezzo. This small-group tour is reserved to eight people to keep the experience as intimate as possible.

Please note: From November 15th-March 31st this tour will visit Braies Lake and San Candido instead of Lakes Santa Caterina and Misurina. From November 23rd to January 6th you'll also visit the San Candido Christmas Market.

Day trip to the UNESCO-listed Dolomite Mountains from Venice

Stop in the village of Pieve di Cadore, birthplace of the Renaissance painter Titian

Take a break at two beautiful mountain lakes: Lake Santa Caterina and Lake Misurina – the ‘Pearl of the Dolomites’ (seasonal)

Spend time at leisure in Cortina d’Ampezzo and peruse its elegant boutiques

Small-group tour with a maximum of 8 ensures a more personalized experience

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

More affordable than a private tour, this Alps day trip still feels intimate thanks to a small group size.

What To Expect

Venice is hard to say goodbye to – even for the day – but the Dolomites may help you forget about it for a few hours. After meeting your driver-guide, hop in your comfortable minivan and head north through the rustic Northern Italian landscape. Make a brief pit stop for an espresso (at own expense) in the bucolic village of Pieve de Cadore, best known as the birthplace of Renaissance painter Titian.

Then hop back in the minivan and drive until you reach Lake Santa Caterina, where you'll be able to take some time to drink in the scenery. A little while later, arrive at Lake Misurina, or the 'Pearl of the Dolomites,' as it is sometimes called. The lake is especially picturesque with the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the background, three distinctive peaks that tower in the distance and one of the most well-known mountain groups in the Alps. Drive toward the peaks and stop to get an amazing view.

Later, sit down at a local trattoria for a traditional Dolomite lunch (at own expense) and then take some free time to go on a stroll around the lake. Or, if you'd rather rest your legs, continue relaxing at the restaurant. After departing from the area around Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the afternoon, head to the chic ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, a spot where wealthy Italians ski and indulge in the posh ambience of the place.

Take some free time here to go shopping in the chic boutiques, enjoy a coffee and dessert at a cafe or just explore the town. Meet up with your driver-guide at the set time and begin your journey back, arriving in Venice in the early evening.

Please note: From November 15th-March 31st this tour will visit Braies Lake and San Candido instead of Lakes Santa Caterina and Misurina. From November 23rd to January 6th you'll also visit the San Candido Christmas Market.

Reviews

Viator Traveller's Reviews

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Kwaku A

, Nov 2018

All of the sites visited were stunning and by going off season we had the dolomite mountains all to ourselves..our guide was friendly and a good driver..highly recommend

We loved our day in the Dolomites with Luka! He helped to make our day fun and special. He was such a careful driver and even checked with the local police on road conditions. He worked very hard to make our day special. He did not disappoint. Viator, you offer quality service and great professional leaders.

We wanted to experience the alpine views and thought that this would be a good trip.

We were a group of 6 in a mini bus and drove for a couple of hours to reach our first stop - a beautiful tranquil dammed lake near a small settlement - which was mostly closed. We then drove further to enjoy the views until reaching our lunch point in a small town near to a lake. The town was largely closed. Onto Cortina where we had a 30 mins stop within a town that was again mostly shut.

Our driver was very helpful but the commentary was mostly conversational to the front passengers and was inaudible to those sat at the rear.

I am pleased to have seen the great sights and the team were very helpful this was a long day filled with a lot of driving and not to much content.

We were blessed to have clear skies with some clouds so that we could witness the grandeur of these Italian Alps. The clouds would part with blue skies and then mist over in bits and pieces occasionally so that we got some wonderful views. Lunch by the lake (on our own) was a treat. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable.

The day of our tour the weather was overcast and raining, THIS TOUR SHOULD NOT OPERATE DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. To summarize our trip, we spent 5 hrs riding around staring at grey skies, when we did stop for breaks we had to quickly find shelter and wait for the scheduled departure time. The ski town of Cortina d'Ampezzo it was a ghost town, there was absolutely nothing open, NOTHING! There were no cars or people, it felt like we had visited a town in a Stephen King novel, we begged our driver not to leave us standing in the rain with nothing to do.
We never observed any mountain peaks or scenic views pictured in this tour because the weather obscure the view the entire trip. We could not wait for this tour to end, in retrospect my wife and I agreed that it would have been better to forgo the 360 we paid for this tour and remained in Venice.

Outstanding trip - well worth the time and money. The Dolomites are truly beautiful. The small group is perfect for efficiency in/out of each stop. And the number of stops are perfect for variety of scenery and town types. Our guide Giovanni was extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

Our guide Marco, was superb. Informative withba good sense of humour. Not to mention a great drive. Its a long day, but you wont be able to stop taking pictures. Would do this trip again in a heartbeat.

My wife and I recently had the opportunity to take this trip from Venice to the Dolomite mountains and Cortina and we're so glad we did. The day we went. 09/24/18, was an absolutely beautiful day. The views that we saw that day were awesome, one more beautiful then the next. Our driver/tour guide, Marco, was very friendly, informative and provided just enough information without going into an overload situation. All in all, this trip was well worth the investment.